Greater Chennai Corporation has earmarked designated spots for dumping construction and demolition waste (C&D) in every zone. The work to get these facilities up and running is at different stages of completion.
In Thiruvottiyur (Zone 1) and Shollinganallur (Zone XV), work on constructing the yard is yet to begin.
At Madhavaram (Zone 3), work to construct a shed near CMDA Truck Terminal is under way. The zonal officer of Zone 3 says they are in the process of creating awareness about the upcoming facility so that the public would make use of it when it is ready. The shed at Zone V (Royapuram) has begun operations.
In recent months, illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste has drawn a lot of flak from citizen groups. Allotting designated areas to dump construction waste is a good move as it will ensure only segregated waste enters the site and that waste is recycled as well.
Corporation officials, however, say these facilities in every zone will only be responsible for clearing “unauthorised debris” lying on roads and places where it is not supposed to be. They would not be clearing such waste from individual homes or commercial establishments.
“Currently, the standard operating procedure given to us talks about clearing waste from areas where it is not supposed to be found as this results in pollution and environmental degradation,” says a GCC engineer. “If GCC has to start collecting C&D waste from individual residents then a fee must be levied depending on the quantity of waste. This will prevent people from dumping at public places but such a mechanism has to be worked out,” says the engineer.
Currently, construction and demolition (C&D) waste from Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Anna Nagar, Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Adyar zones are outsourced to Premier Precision Private Limited that collects, transports and processes it at the dumpyards in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur.
The waste collected from the remaining 8 zones is transported by GCC directly.
GCC levies fine ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹ 5,000 for illegal dumping of C&D waste but residents wonder how well this is being enforced.
According to the Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management Rules of 2016, the onus of disposing of construction debris lies with the person or entities generating the waste. The law also states that urban local bodies are responsible for implementing these rules.
Vidyasagar Jagadeesan, a resident of Pallikaranai, feels that GCC can bring even debris under the ambit of door-to-door collection. “If you charge a fee then public will dump it anywhere to evade the cost,” he says that a date and time for collection of debris should be decided upon and communicated. “If one zone or ward does this, it will become popular and catch on.”
Making the most of construction debris
What happens to the debris generated from the demolition of a building? In most cases, this waste is dumped near a waterbody, road or taken to a landfill. If processed scientifically, construction and demolition waste can be recycled and used to reduce the demand-supply gap in the industry. This will help conserve the depleting sources of good quality stone aggregates and decrease environmental degradation due to quarrying activities.
Surender Singh, assistant professor, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Madras, says there are lessons that Chennai can learn from Hyderabad on how to handle C&D waste. A privately-run plant in Maharashtra also has lessons to offer.
“Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation does door-to-door collection of C&D waste. Depending on the quantum of waste that needs to be collected, vehicles of varying sizes are pressed into service. There is also a toll free number that residents can call on to avail the service.”
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation does door-to-door collection of C&D waste. Depending on the quantum of waste that needs to be collected, vehicles of varying sizes are pressed into service. There is also a toll free number that residents can call on to avail the service.
Citizens also have the option of transporting C&D waste generated from renovation or minor repairs of buildings to the nearest plant using their vehicles. Both these services come with the requisite user charges.
According to GHMC website, user charges is ₹ 388.75/MT, and if the generator transports the waste to the plant site, the user charges is ₹97.20/MT.
Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, runs a plant in Mumbai suburb of Vikhroli, which collects and processes C&D waste that is sold to companies. The recycled concrete waste is used for making customised prefabricated concrete products such as box culverts and ducts, and used in some of the major infrastructure projects in Mumbai, says a note on its website.
“This initiative helps reduce the pressure on quarries for more stone aggregates and sand, and reduces the carbon dioxide emission. Dumping of C&D waste in landfills would also reduce,” says Surender.
Transportation cost and getting permission from the local body are a few bottlenecks in the management of C&D waste in Chennai.
Greater awareness and incentives are also needed to encourage people to use recycled aggregates.
“There are dedicated standard protocols such as 20-25 % of crushed concrete waste can be used in construction of new buildings and 100 per cent in non-structural projects such as laying a footpath and paver blocks,” says Surender.
Two types of aggregates can be extracted from C&D waste. “Recycled aggregates which constitute all the waste fractions (bricks, concrete debris, clay and ceramics) and recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) which are produced by crushing the concrete debris alone. Since RCA is a single-phase material, its suitability is higher,” says the professor who specialises in C&D waste management.
As per guidelines brought out by the Indian Roads Congress, C&D waste can be used in all categories of roads including National Highways. Use of waste aggregates in road works is a widely accepted practice in countries like Denmark, USA, UK, France and Japan, says the report.
He adds there should be continuous supply of input and output material for such plants to be economically viable. A market also needs to be created for recycled products.
